Well for one, you sent me a long list of people who you claim recommend this product. I'm good friends with quite a few of them, so I texted/called them and it turns out that exactly none of them recommend your product--most of them have never even seen it in person! They are certainly curious about its potential (as am I), but they require more testing before they might consider 'recommending' the product. And even if they did eventually decide to use and/or recommend your product they still would not be comfortable standing by all of the outrageous and illogical claims in your documents and emails.
The fact that you are willing to twist and misuse a person's expression of simple curiosity/interest into 'strongly recommend' is, for me, unacceptable. This alone was enough to burn the bridge. I do not do business with people I do not trust.
You may also want to reconsider how you approach people in the future. I strongly suggest performing well thought-out studies and experiments, documenting them, but above all organizing your thoughts before blasting people with a snowstorm of unsophisticated rhetoric and nonsense 'facts'. To be quite blunt, your email sounds like you have never done bonsai in your life (e.g. "Sakadama promotes development of the bonsai tree"; lolwut?), and I'm not the only one who feels that you're terrible at marketing/PR/sales. What Sakadama needs is a different representative promoting/selling this product if it is a product worth promoting. At this point there is just not much you can do to re-establish trust, and I know for a fact that I am not the only person who feels this way.
I sincerely lament the fact that you have been made responsible for the promotion of this product. Many people like myself who are genuinely excited about the potential of a new substrate are being severely put-off by your 'marketing'.
Thanks for your reply.
I did send you an e-mail. But I never used the words "Strongly recommend" anywhere. Could you be so kind as in sending me the text where I claimed this Strongly recommending and the names of the people from who I supposedly unjustified claimed they recommend Sakadama?
I would never do that? Call some big names in a small world like that of Bonsai just to impress. If I would do that I would lose my credibility in a blink of an eye. I know people talk to each other in this small world and I did not lie one word. There also was no long list of names. There were 2 names: Bjorn Bjorholm of Eisei-en and Andy Youtz of Superfly Bonsai.
Bjorn has been testing our product and so there was no lie there. People can check if they want.
Andy is selling our product on his website:
https://www.superflybonsai.com/prod...african-akadama-1?_pos=1&_sid=be349f090&_ss=r
So no lies there either.
What I wrote in the e-mails was:
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"Furthermore, the following people commit to Sakadama: (I did not write they recommend)
Bjorn Bjorholm of Eisei-en
Bjorn is one of the best Bonsai artists in the world who studied in Japan and now practices in the US. His website (
https://bjornbjorholm.com/) and various blogs showcase his work. He is very well known in the Bonsai industry.
Andy Youtz of Superfly Bonsai in the USA
Another well-known name in the Bonsai industry. He has a company that sells the most diverse Bonsai related products. See also:
https://www.superflybonsai.com/ "
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I meant that these people are helping us with this product. And they are. What other name was mentioned which was a lie? I would like to respond, but if I do not know who you are speaking of I can't.
I am sorry if I offended you somehow, but your claim that I said these people recommend our product is simply not true. Bjorn was testing it last time I heard, so how could I say he's already recommending it?
Also, you wrote about me personally: "......unsophisticated rhetoric and nonsense 'facts'. To be quite blunt, your email sounds like you have never done bonsai in your life (e.g. "Sakadama promotes development of the bonsai tree"; lolwut?)
As I have been very clear about from the beginning, I am not an expert in Bonsai. I am new to Bonsai. I am eager to learn and if there are (technical) matters I do not know enough of I ask our expert and come with plain and honest answers. But I did not send you an e-mail with unsophisticated rhetoric and nonsense 'facts'. Everything I wrote to you, was given to me as information and there is no text in this mail that is what you describe nonsense. If so please tell me what so I can change my corresponding about this in the future.
I did put a screenshot of the e-mail with the part you are referring to highlighted in green as an attachment to this post as what you are saying is discrediting me, while I feel I have done nothing wrong. I want people to see what I wrote, as I did not lie, twist and misuse anuthing. The text I used in the mail I did send you I used a lot for potential customers and if there is anything wrong with it I would like to change or if necessary rectify it.
With regards,
Hugo Hazebroek (Comercial agent of Sakadama)
